


SPOP Palentines

by TippenFunkaport



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Comedy, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gossip, Missing Scene, One Shot Collection, SPOP Palentines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29145804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippenFunkaport/pseuds/TippenFunkaport
Summary: A collection of one-shots (mostly funny but a couple of serious ones) celebrating friendship, family and other more complicated dynamics!In February 2021 I helped run a fun fanworks event this month celebrating platonic relationships on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. It was a month of art, fics and more about friendship and family, non-romantic dynamics both agreeable and antagonistic, and everyone was welcome to participate!  For the full list of prompts and to see the other cool things fans have made for this event, visit the Tumblr herehttps://spop-palentines.tumblr.com/For a full table of contents of all the stories in this fic, see the author's note on the first chapter!I also wrote some pieces for this event that I made standalone or part of other fics.You can find a TOC to thosehere.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Swift Wind | Spirit, Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella & Castaspella (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Double Trouble (She-Ra), Entrapta & Sea Hawk, Horde Prime & Shadow Weaver, Melog & Swift Wind, Mermista & Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 194
Kudos: 122
Collections: SPOP Palentines (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)





	1. Meetings and Beginnings: Just a Job

**Author's Note:**

> **Table of Contents**
> 
>   1. **Meetings and Beginnings:** Not-yet-General Juliet’s first day on the job.
>   2. **Mom Friends and Bad Influences:** Little Bow tries to talk Glimmer out of a terrible idea.
>   3. **Relatives:** Angella and Castaspella have an awkward tea and the sister-in-laws find common ground in the fact that their love for “that boy” only extends so far
>   4. **FREE DAY: Jokes and Pranks:** Catra gets her own transformation sequence.
>   5. **Enemies and Rivals:** Years after the fall of Prime, Adora gets a note that fills her with panic.
>   6. **Chaotic Dynamic:** Entrapta helps Sea Hawk in the kitchen with explosive results.
>   7. **Unlikely Buddies:** Mermista and Scorpia practice because a good detective knows a MURDER could happen at any time.
>   8. **Fractured Friendships:** Hard Feelings (Catra and Double Trouble reunite)
>   9. **Sidekicks & Supportive Buddies:** Swift Wind and Melog bond. Maybe.
>   10. **Post Canon Potential:** Catra harasses Bow about his lack of PDA with Glimmer.
>   11. **Quads & Squads:**A princess alliance meeting gets derailed as they try to establish who, exactly, is in the Best Friend Squad.
>   12. **Work Friends:** A few months after Queen Angella disappeared into the portal, General Juliet reflects on her years at Bright Moon.
>   13. **What if?:** Horde Prime vs Shadow Weaver (Canon Divergence AU)
>   14. **Teams and Alliances:** Mermista and Spinnerella combine forces to make a SHARKNADO!
>   15. **Crack (Friend)ships:** It’s Swift Wind’s turn to host the monthly meeting of the Society of Comic Sidekicks That Some People Think Are Annoying But Are Just Doing Their Best and that goes about as well as you might expect.
> 


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not-yet-General Juliet's first day on the job.

Damn. So this was Bright Moon. Her father had told her, but it was something else, seeing it for herself. Polished everything, way more crystals than she could even imagine a need for. Never seen so many cushions in one place. 

A defense nightmare though. Way too many windows. Almost every room in this place was open to the elements in whole or part and when you figured in the floating islands, near on everything here seemed like a hell of a security problem. 

Still, queen of the princesses, hub of the rebellion. Ending up a tassel head just like her old man. Worth it, no?

"So, Juliet. Have you worked around magic before?" General Sunder asked, following her eyes. Juliet cursed herself. Sloppy, gazing around her like she was a tourist. Did she want this job or not? She straightened up and pulled the front of her shirt tight. 

"Yes, sir. General... Sir." Idiot. But it would call more attention to it to go back and say it again so she just kept going. "Mother teaches up at Mystacor." 

"Your mother, huh?” The general raised an eyebrow at her. He held his helmet at his side, his gray hair buzzed close. There was a long scar running down the side of his otherwise kindly face. If it weren’t for that, you’d think he was just somebody’s grandpa, not the demon in battle he was supposed to be. She wondered how many years away he was from retirement. 

Look at that, Jules! Opportunities for advancement! You toe the line, play the game, and boom! General of a whole army, in the finest kingdom on all of Etheria! Now THAT would make your pops proud. 

She shook it off, that voice in her head that sounded way too much like her father. One thing at a time. 

"Yes, sir. Teaches basic potions. Never had the knack myself though.” 

She probably shouldn’t have said that. Hard to tell where people stood on magic these days. Her mother talked about it like it was going to save the universe but her father would snort and say he’d rather put his faith in sword and shield. She gripped the handle of the sword at her belt, hoping she hadn’t just blown this whole interview. 

"Ah, none of that magic stuff for you, eh?" The General look was mischievous and she hesitated before nodding. She was worried for a minute but then he winked at her and lowered his voice. "Truth be told, the stuff gives me the willies. No offense to her angelic majesty, of course. As fine a woman as ever you’d meet and as much an honor to serve under as her husband was. But you'll find me outside the castle walls more times than not, where the air's not so... charged."

She nodded not really sure what to say. She'd seen Queen Angella in passing, when this tour had taken them through her throne room, thronged with people waiting for an audience. The queen had looked regal and intimidating with those massive wings tucked behind her but also rather bored. Apparently, the rebellion didn’t see nearly as much action as it had in her father’s day. Disappointing, to have trained so hard only to end up yawning in sparkle land, far away from the action she could see in another position.

Eh. It was just a job. Some magic for mother, a title for father. The name of the place alone gave enough for both her parents to brag about. Maybe she’d end up on the same shift as Rohni, at least have someone to talk to. 

"So, as I was saying, this up here is the South Entrance. Because of the floating islands, open-air plan, and whatnot, we usually keep a few guards with their eyes to the sky too, stationed up on the balconies at the East and West towers. This way, something tries to get into one of the bedrooms, you can raise the alarm. So that's going to be the majority of your duties as a mid-level. You'll cycle between guard duty at one of those locations, five stations a shift. There's also usually at least one mid-level in throne level at all times, just in case something happens, but those are mostly only for show. Now, of course, the Queen really takes a shine to you, then you can get bodyguard detail, escort her on missions, stuff like that. If it's advancement you're after, that's the way to go."

The Queen's favorite. The one she trusts above all others. That would be her. It had to be. Her parents would tolerate nothing less from her than the best and she held herself to that same standard. 

General Sunder was still talking and she tuned back into his steady drone. "...but you'd still be old enough to remember what happened to King Micah."

"Of course, sir." The death of the old King at the hands of the Horde had reverberated across the planet. How could it not have after the frenzy surrounded their wedding? They still talked reverently of the love story of the angel and the sorcerer up at Mystacor. 

"Well, then you understand why security at Bright Moon is paramount! The protection of Bright Moon is paramount! Nobody gets in without being fully vetted. Absolutely no weapons inside the castle proper outside of our force and that goes for those dirty blowhards from the rebellion camp too. And every room beyond the throne room is entirely off-limits to anyone but Queen Angella and her advisers. As the last line of defense before her majesty, you must be on your guard at all times!” The general was as serious as she’d seen him and Juliet nodded solemnly. “No distractions from your duty! Visitors are NOT to run in corridors and voices will be kept at a natural level except in times of emergency! There will be no fraternizing on the job and the utmost care is to be taken with the relics and displays in the corridors. If anything were to—" 

The general’s cut his sentence short as two kids came tearing down the hallway, shrieking with laughter. The little girl, a mess of skirts and pink, crashed into one of the hallway displays so hard it would have fallen over completely if Juliet had not reached out and grabbed it in time. She righted it, thanking the moons the only thing inside was some chunk of polished rock heavy enough it didn't do more than slide a little to the side of its satin pillow. 

The girl’s friend, the little boy with the bow slung over his back, at least had the decency to look abashed and might actually even have apologized except all he managed was a tiny squeak before the little girl grabbed his leg and the two of them disappeared in a shower of pink sparkles. She tensed as she heard them again a second later, giggling and whispering a little ways down the corridor they'd just come down.

She turned, her hand on the hilt of her sword automatically. "General, they’re headed back towards the Queen's offices, should I—"

"Oh, no. Stand down, soldier. That's just the princess. She can go wherever she wants. As you can see, it's not like any of us could stop her anyway." General Sunder laughed, fondly. "Got one of my own about that age, not half as much trouble though!" 

There was another crash farther down the hallway, something that sounded a lot more damaging than this one. Juliet tried to relax her stance against her better instincts. "I see. And the boy?"

The General waved his hand vaguely. "The princess' friend. He's here all the time."

"And he's been... fully vetted?"

"Not at all! Far as I know, nobody knows where the hell he came from. Not even the queen. But the princess doesn't have a lot of friends so...” She must have looked concerned because General Sunder patted her arm. “But he's a very polite boy, a real good kid. Just last week I caught him trying to talk her tiny highness from picking the lock to the weapons room."

"But... he is armed?" Hadn’t the general specifically said…

"And not a bad shot with that thing either, I'll tell you! Anyway, let's about get you down to the armory, see about getting you fitted for a uniform and we can start with the paperwork." The general paused and looked back when she didn't follow. She hesitated, listening to what sounded distinctly like child-like voices and something smashing. "Something wrong?"

Well, yes? This is Bright Moon, head of the rebellion, tightest security of the elemental kingdoms, no weapons allowed, nobody in or out without a thorough background check… except those kids are allowed to do whatever the hell they want, go anywhere they want, while ARMED and nobody stops them? It was ludicrous and dangerous and… 

She exhaled. What did it matter? It was just a job. 

“No, sir. Everything’s fine. I’m eager to get started.”

“Great!” The general clapped her on the shoulder. 

They passed what looked like a bedroom, the door open to reveal a couple of singed targets, a pile of arrows, and what looked like battle plans drawn directly on the polished floor in crayon. She exhaled and shook her head. 

The general laughed and bumped her shoulder. "Just be glad there's only two of them! Imagine half a dozen of them running around like that, yelling and fighting and blasting magic who knows where. Or worse! Imagine they were teenagers! Whew! By the time that happens, I'm retiring for sure. Maybe by then, they'll be your problem."

Yes, she thought, as they made their way back into the throne room where everything at least had the illusion of order. Maybe it would be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While all of these will standalone, there will be little connections between some of them. Let's just say, you'll be getting another Juliet POV in a later piece so maybe don't judge my interpretation of her character too harshly yet! ;-)


	2. Mom Friends and Bad Influences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bow doesn't think Glimmer's really great idea is so great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The theme for Day Three is Mom Friends and Bad Influences 
> 
> (My post for Day Two is here: [https://archiveofourown.org/works/26264311/chapters/71563854)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26264311/chapters/71563854)

“You’re just mad because it’s an amazing idea you didn’t think of it!” 

“Glimmer, no!” 

Bow paced around Glimmer’s bedroom as best as he could considering the floor was still completely covered with stuffed animals from the epic battle they’d been playing before. He started collecting the toys just for something to keep his hands busy. He piled them on the half of the window seat that wasn’t taken up by Glimmer, sprawled in a heap of floof and skirt. “Please tell me you’re joking!”

“I’m not! Think about it, Bow! Cold morning and I’ve got to pee. Well, zwoop, I just teleport everything in my bladder directly to the bathroom and I can just stay in bed as long as I want!”

“It is not worth the risk for a few extra minutes of sleep!”

“What risk? You never have a problem with teleporting when it’s to get us to Mystcor quicker or something.” She slurped down another bottle of fruit juice, the other dozen she’d drank in the last hour still strewn all about her. All part of this crazy experiment she was set on trying today. “You just don’t understand because you’re a freak who likes to get up early.” 

Bow had run out of stuffed animals to pick up so he started picking up her clothes, a tangled pair of tights, her ducky pajamas, and the muddy boots that she’d left on her ottoman. If he did that his dads would KILL him and he couldn’t stand to leave them there dripping mud on the fancy fabric. 

“What if you teleport your whole bladder out and you DIE?” He didn’t want to start crying but she was never ever careful and what if something happened to her? He sniffed and tried not to look at her. He was up to the bottles now, stacking them in a little octagon pattern. 

“Duh! That’s why I waited to practice until you were here! So if there’s a problem…”

“I can what? Glimmer! I don’t know how to put an organ back into your body! And then you’ll bleed to death and I won’t be able to do anything and it’ll be all my fault because I couldn’t stop you and can’t we just go play or do something else that’s not so dangerous?”

“Ugh… you sound like my mom.” She groaned but he was having a really hard time hiding the fact that he was crying now so her tone wasn’t nearly as mean as it usually was when she said it. 

Bow sniffed. It wasn’t like he wanted to be compared to her mom all the time but Glimmer didn’t think and just rushed in and she had all these powers and she was reckless with them and she was his best friend in the whole world and he didn’t want anything to happen to her because if something happened to her he’d… he’d never be able to…

“Hey. Come on, don’t cry. I won’t do it if it makes you so scared.” She nudged him with her foot and carefully put her last empty bottle into the empty space in his octagon pattern instead of chucking it randomly like she usually did. “Better?”

“But you gotta promise you won’t try it while I’m not here either!” Because that would be even worse than her doing it while he was here! If she did it and got hurt and he wasn’t even here to say goodbye or help her or… “Promise you won’t!”

“Ugh.” Glimmer rolled her eyes and maybe she was going to promise or maybe she wasn’t but he knew her well enough that she wouldn’t let this go until she had something to distract her from it and didn’t want to take the chance. “Promise and… I won’t stop you next time you try to pick the lock on the weapons storage room.”

She shook her head. “What’s the point? I can’t figure out how to get it open anyway.”

“OK, well, then… promise and…” He sighed. “I’ll teach you how to pick the lock on the weapons room” 

“Really?” Her eyes went all twinkly and he knew he had her. “But when I asked you to before, you said…”

“Yeah, well, I changed my mind.” Half an hour ago, picking the lock to the weapon’s room had seemed like a terrible idea but right now unleashing Glimmer in a room full of implements of death seemed infinitely preferable to her trying to teleport random body parts out of her body because she wanted to sleep in. “But you gotta pinky swear it first.”

She raised her pinkie and hesitated. “Wait. Do you even know how to pick locks?”

“Of course I do!” Bow was genuinely offended. “It’s just a simple mechanism!” 

“OK then. Deal.” She offered her pinkie and he linked his around it. Then they gave it a bob to make sure the promise stuck. “I promise I will not try to teleport my pee to the bathroom even if I’m super comfy in bed and it would be sooo much easier than getting out from under the nice warm covers to…” Bow glared at her and she took a deep breath and said, “I promise I won’t do it, OK? Happy now?”

“Yes.” Bow wiped his nose on his sleeve, his fears subsiding. Even Glimmer wasn’t crazy enough to break a pinky promise. And a part of him was excited to get the chance to show off and impress her with what he knew. 

“Well, then what are we waiting for! Let’s go break and enter!” Glimmer jumped up, the many layers of her skirt flopping back down into place. She started for the door of the room and then turned on her heel and headed for the bathroom. “Though first I really have to pee!”

“Go the normal way!” 

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t!” She stuck her tongue out at him before she slammed the door. 

“Glimmer!” 

“I love you, Bow.” She singsonged from the other side of the door. “Even if you’re worse than my nannies sometimes.”

“Yeah, well, I love you too. Even though you’re a bad influence.” He grinned as he heard her giggle, his favorite sound. That girl had gotten him into so much trouble already, he couldn’t even imagine what else she’d drag him into in the future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every child has wanted this power at some point in their lives and if you say you didn't you are LYING!!
> 
> I wrote all of these as ideas came to me and then sorted them to fit the prompts and I know none of you will believe me but I SWEAR it is just coincidence that the first four all contain Glimbow... they'll be a greater variety of characters as we get later in the month.


	3. That Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angella and Castaspella have an awkward tea and find common ground in the fact that their love for “that boy” only extends so far...
> 
> For the Prompt: Relatives

“Of course you’d do this, you ALWAYS do this, Angella! Block me out and deliberately exclude me like Glimmer isn’t my family too! My ONLY niece when you KNOW I have no children of my own to fuss over and you won’t even let me be a part of her life!” 

Casta was ranting, shrill and fast, and the all too familiar sound made Angella’s eye twitch. She never felt all of her decades more than at these monthly teas they kept up more out of habit than actual enjoyment. Micah’s sister had always been exhausting. But this was different than the fit about the flowers at Micah’s memorial or her objections to the new regulations on magical plants and powders. She could hear her sister-in-law’s teacup clatter in its saucer as her hands shook. 

The queen took a long sip and then set her own teacup down, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I am not excluding you.”

“Oh? Her first Princess Prom and you mean to tell me you’ll be doing nothing at all?” The sorceress gestured so fast she knocked over her cup, tea spreading across the tablecloth. She made a frustrated sound and drew a small rune, the mess reversing itself in an instant. “Nonsense! You just don’t want me there, admit it!”

Angella exhaled and pushed her biscuit crumbs into a small pile in the center of her saucer. “It’s not my choice. It’s my daughter’s. And you know how stubborn Glimmer can be. Goodness knows, she doesn’t get that from me.” 

Casta was crying outright now and trying not to show it but she let out a small laugh at that. 

“If anything, she’s excluding me more than anything. Not that that’s anything new.” Angella wasn’t under any illusions about how close she and Glimmer were. It seemed like every day they grew farther apart. But she had harbored some small hope that perhaps the traditional nature of the event might mean… ah, but who was she fooling? The images of helping Glimmer get ready, them smiling at each other in the mirror as she did her hair for the ball… those belonged to some other mother and daughter. 

Angella wondered, not for the first time, if she’d unwittingly chosen this distance for them or if it was inevitable, one of the many sacrifices she made every day as queen. She cleared her throat, pushing back the cold feeling brought on by that train of thinking. For some reason she couldn’t explain, the last person she wanted to know about these fears was the woman in front of her. Everything had always seemed like some ghastly competition between them where the rules were always changing and both of them were losing. 

They’d been friends once, proper friends, but, every since Micah died, these teas seemed more like a ritual to something long gone. 

“For as long as she’s been looking forward to it, Glimmer is acting very strange about the ball. She won’t even consent to an official portrait.”

“No?” Casta had composed herself again and she flicked a finger towards the teapot, pouring herself a warm-up. “What a shame! I would have loved a memento of her and Bow all dressed up.”

Ah. They’d come back around to this, at least. The one and only topic that was always safe to talk about with her sister in law. Their one bit of neutral ground. 

“Well, that’s the other thing. I was arranging transport for the three of them to the Kingdom of Snows and Glimmer informed me quite brusquely that it would only be for her and Adora.” Angella took a sip of her tea and watched Casta’s eyes widen in shock. 

“What? You can’t be serious!” 

“Apparently she and Bow had some row but of course my daughter won’t tell me anything about it and Adora, well, the poor girl is so terrified of me she can’t seem to get two words out between salutes.” 

“Hmm,” Casta hummed. “A lover’s quarrel?”

“That’s what I thought but I think we may have missed the mark there. He’s going with someone else.”

“No! But they’re always together! They adore each other! I thought she had that nice boy locked down and we’d all be toasting their union before the decade was out.”

Angella had thought much the same. She liked Bow a great deal and, not that her daughter ever shared her mysterious thought process with her, but she had thought she knew enough to feel confident in him becoming a member of the family before too long. But now… “I haven’t heard who he’s going with. Another princess I assume. Or prince. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to go.” 

A princess, especially one more powerful than Glimmer, stealing her only friend... Well, that would play into all her insecurities! Angella found herself hoping it was a prince. It would be less… personal that way. 

“Oh, dear. No wonder she’s upset. I hope she didn’t ask him and get turned down.” 

“I’m afraid that may have been exactly what happened.” They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound Casta taking a sip of her tea. 

Casta shook her head. “Bit of a dreadful thing to do to her, leaving her in the lurch like that. Once in a decade event. And who is he, to think he can do better than the heir of Bright Moon?”

“Indeed.” Angella couldn’t help but smile at that but she hid it in her cup. She knew Casta was very fond of the boy as well and she wasn’t sure how she’d take this news but it seemed her sister-in-laws reaction to this drama was the same as hers. Their affection for the nice boy only went so far as Glimmer’s happiness and if that was in jeopardy…

“Well, perhaps the situation isn’t quite what it seems.” Casta set her cup down carefully. “Maybe a simple misunderstanding and they’ll come back arm in arm and hug it out and everything will be just as it was before. But if that boy breaks her heart…” 

There was something about the way her sister-in-law said _that boy_ that left no doubt in Angella’s mind as to how poorly that might go for Bow. 

“Well, as you say, we’ll see how it goes. Perhaps I’ll call him into my office next week, and ask him a few questions. Put a little fear of the heavens into that boy.” She was joking… mostly. 

“If you do, I want a full report!” Casta laughed, loud, all the tension from earlier gone. “Well, Angella, I must be off. Send me a scroll if you find out anything else. Thank you for the tea… and company.”

“Of course.” Angella nodded, rising to see Micah’s sister out. There was relief in seeing Castaspella go, no longer having to navigate the minefield of strained conversation. But there was a part of her that was also sad to see her go.

Angella thought perhaps she might stay up late tonight. Maybe they’d all come home from the ball so full of fun and party they’d actually tell her something about the evening for a change. She thought wistfully of her own first time at the ball, of the complicated dynamics of friends and paramours and how back then everything was simultaneously much simpler and much more complicated than it was now. 


	4. Jokes and Pranks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra may not be as impressed as Adora thinks she is with the full She-Ra Transformation sequence. 
> 
> For the Jokes and Pranks prompt.

"Okay so I've got the maps and the new trade agreement Glimmer wanted us to take over and... yeah. I think we're all set to go." Adora rolled up the papers and stuffed them into their bag. "We might as well head— Oh, wait, one thing!"

She winked at Catra.

"Ugh. Just get it over with." Catra leaned against the wall, pretending she was really interested in her nails. Whatever. Adora knew she really loved this. 

Adora grinned. She dropped the bag and widened her stance. She lifted her arm aloft and in a second felt the sword materialize into her hand. 

"For the honor of Greyskull!" She shouted and then everything exploded into bubbles then rainbows then sparkles and then, like, sparkly rainbow bubbles? And everything was really bright and warm and… she had never really been clear on where the music was coming from but it was pretty awesome. 

Pshoo! Bam! She made sound effects in her head as she flung out her arms and the golden bracers formed around them. And then BOOM boob thrust, arms together, mask, then bedroom eyes but, you know, in a heroic way and POW ponytail of the gods! And she felt the magic recede and there she stood, dumdumdum… She-Ra!

She didn’t really need to go through the whole process with this new form. She could pretty much turn it on instantly these days. But she knew Catra thought the whole magical transformation thing was totally hot and who was she to deny her girlfriend a chance to marvel at her awesome magical warrior form with the whole thing every time?

She held a pose and the golden glow for a few seconds before flipping She-Ra’s magnificent hair and dimming down to resting power. She looked over at Catra with her best sultry look. Those mismatched eyes were full with… something. Probably desire because she looked so amazingly bad ass like this. 

“OK, so, uh…” Adora picked the bag back up, feeling a little self-conscious all of a sudden. “Ready to go?”

"Almost." Catra stood leisurely up from the wall. "Just one more thing. Guys?" 

To Adora's bewilderment, Bow and Glimmer jumped out from behind the canopy that divided their sitting area from the bedroom. Uh, how long had they been back there? Bow pulled out his tracker pad and, with a solemn nod to Catra, pressed a button, and needlessly epic music starting playing. 

Catra flung her arm into the air with a loud, "Mrrreow!" 

She spun around, pulling off the top she was wearing to reveal another, much shinier top underneath. Suddenly the air was full of light, sparkles then bubbles… and then bubbles and sparkles at once. Adora was so bewildered by Catra's power twirl that it took her a minute to realize that Glimmer was magic-ing the sparkles while Bow blew bubbles from a tiny wand, the two of them skipping a circle around Catra, wearing very serious expressions that looked about half a second from cracking into laughter. 

Adora sighed. OK, fine, so maybe doing the whole transformation sequence every time was a little much and maybe Catra had not been quite as impressed by her doing it as she’d thought. "Very funny."

She expected her friends to knock it off but, instead, Bow put away the bubble wand and took out a fan. He started to aggressively fan Catra so her hair, which had gotten pretty long since the war, blew out behind her majestically. Catra kicked her leg backward and shook out her mane in the breeze. 

Adora shifted her weight from foot to foot. "OK, knock it off. You've made your point."

Catra threw out her arms and Glimmer tossed her her suit jacket. She caught it and whipped it around her head with a flourish while Bow danced around behind her with a glittery ribbon as tall as him in each hand. 

Adora crossed her arms over her chest. "Come on, you guys, we're going to be—"

Catra flipped the jacket around her back and Glimmer gave her an extra blast of sparkles as she pulled the jacket on and… Come on, she didn’t lunge her chest THAT far forward like that, now Catra was just being dramatic! As the music reached a crescendo, Bow tossed Catra a pair of sunglasses which she caught without even looking— How long had these idiots been practicing this?— and then put a pair on himself and Adora realized what was going to happen just a second too late to close her eyes before everything got very sparkly and pink and WAY TOO BRIGHT. 

By the time she could open her eyes again, it took her a minute to adjust. When everything finally came back into focus, there stood Catra, hands on hips, looking insufferably smug, the spots still blinking in Adora's eyes giving her an otherworldly look. And she looked, objectively, really freaking hot. 

Annoying. But hot. 

Adora turned to Bow and Glimmer who were both laughing themselves sick but before she could even open her mouth Glimmer gave her a little wave, grabbed Bow, and they were gone in a flash. She sighed.

"OK, well, if you're done now, we really need to get going." 

"Sure. Let's get going." Catra came over and took her arm casually like nothing had happened. A lone bubble floated lazily in front of them and Adora popped it with her finger.

"You know, you could have just told me."

"Told you what?" Catra smiled, all fang. She wrapped her arm around Adora’s waist as they stepped out of their apartment. 

"That it was annoying you."

"Now, where did you get that idea?" Catra threw back her head and laughed. “Come on, dummy.”


	5. Enemies and Rivals: SW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after the fall of Prime, Adora gets a note that fills her with panic. 
> 
> For the prompt Enemies and Rivals.

Adora came out of the bathroom, still toweling off her hair. The quiet was unfamiliar but kind of nice. Catra had taken Finn over to Plumeria to visit Scorpia, Micah, Glimmer and Bow had gone to visit Castaspella in Mystacor and Swifty was still at Arcana Island for his workshop so she pretty much had the place to herself. Shame, though, because it would have been a lovely day to go for a fly. 

She was just debating whether she should do some work first and then grab a snack or the other way around when her eyes fell on a piece of paper on her desk that certainly hadn’t been there before she’d started her shower. The edges were torn, ragged and vicious, and the words were scrawled violently across the page in a dark black. The very sight of it made a very specific kind of panic form in the back of her throat, one she hadn’t felt in years. 

She grabbed for the paper, her eyes scanning the words while her heart threatened to beat out of her chest… 

_Adora-_

_I have returned._

_-SW_

_PS: Surprised? Now nothing can stop me!_

No. No, it couldn’t be. Her hand holding the paper shook and started to glow. In a moment she was She-Ra, crushing the paper. 

Shadow Weaver, alive? In her HOME. If she went near Catra, near FINN… Fury coursed through her veins and she tore across the room towards the door. She would find her, she would crush her and make sure she stayed dead this time. 

She wrenched the door open and nearly crashed into someone standing in front of it, hoof poised to knock. 

“Oh, hey, Adora!” Swift Wind’s smile fell as he saw the look on her face. “Is something wrong?” 

“Shad—” Adora began but stopped, remembering. “You’re back?”

“Indeed I am! You won’t believe all the cool stuff I learned too.” He flung his wings open proudly. “And, best of all, in a giant hoofstep forward for the horse rebellion, Treeleaf taught me how to… Well, did you see my note?” 

“Your note.” Adora lifted her fist, the note inside crumpled beyond recognition. Her eyes focused on the black marker hanging from the string tied around Swift Wind’s neck. 

“Aw, you wrinkled it. I worked hard on that!”

SW. 

Shadow Weaver. 

Or… Swift Wind. 

She exhaled, relief spreading through her entire body. She let go of She-Ra and Adora smoothed out the note on the edge of the doorway. 

“Sorry, Swifty. I thought… well, don’t worry about what I thought.” She spent a moment trying to get her heart rate back to normal and then threw her arms around her best four legged friend for a grateful hug. She wiped the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes on the fur of his neck and pulled back to smile at her faithful steed. “So, you know how to write now? That’s pretty cool!”

“I couldn't wait to surprise you with it! I’ve got big plans too, pamphlets, postcards, maybe even a book, you know? It’s all part of my new initiative of horse literacy. I thought, if you wanted to take a little fly, I could tell you all about if but… if you’re busy…”

“No, I’d love to hear about it. Going for a fly sounds great.” She started to follow him down the hallway towards exit. “Maybe we’ll pack a little picnic. I could use a relaxing morning with my faithful steed.”

“I was going to say. You do seem kind of high strung.”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda am.” Adora laughed, mostly from pure relief than anything. “Just… one thing… from now on… you think you could maybe sign your notes Swifty instead?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was 100% inspired by me looking at the list of fics I planned to write for Palentines and going... "SW and Melog? Why TF was I going to write about Shadow Weaver and Melog???" and then having a long "Ohhhhhh, right." moment.


	6. POW

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Entrapta helps Sea Hawk in the kitchen with explosive results. 
> 
> For the Prompt Chaotic Dynamics

There. Sea Hawk regarded the dish in front of him, a sort of a cross between a cake and a custard of his own creation. He’d just finished positioning the last piece of strawberry on the top, carefully arranged between the slices of mango to look like a tiny flame. He sighed. It looked fine and he was confident enough in the taste but it was just missing a certain something and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. 

The boat listed to the side, the strawberry knife sliding off the table but he caught it automatically and tossed it into the sink in one fluid motion, used to the challenge of cooking in the boat’s tiny kitchen out on the open sea. From the deck, he could still hear the happy chatter of his friends. It had been a most excellent afternoon of friends and fun but it had thus far been mostly just a lovely boat party when what he’d really wanted it to be was more of an EPIC BOAT PARTY _ADVENTURE_!

“Hey, Sea Hawk!” Entrapta lowered herself down the hatch by her hair. “You got something down here that can cut through steel? Figures, the one time I leave my sawsall back at the lab! Your nav system was off by three degrees and I thought, while I was in there, might as well add a little ion cannon, because why not?”

“Why not indeed!” Sea Hawk unhooked his light sword from his waist and tossed it to the princess. “On max power, that’ll cut through anything. Just make sure you don’t hit the gas boosters. My dearest Mermista does not appreciate when you blow the back half of the boat off when she’s on it.”

“Ha!” Entrapta studied the sword. “Hordak’s the same way! It’s like, I only sustained minimal head trauma and it wasn’t even a load-bearing wall this time, don’t get all in a tizzy!”

“Exactly!” Sea Hawk laughed and then had an idea. “Entrapta, my good woman, you seem like a princess who knows about desserts.”

“Well, my expertise is limited to tiny confections but the knowledge should scale.” The sword disappeared into the folds of Entrapta’s hair and she regarded the dessert. “What’s the problem?”

“I wanted this to be the best post-war boat party adventure EVER! And this, well… This just doesn’t have the POW I wanted, you see?”

“Hmm.” Entrapta rubbed her chin with two fingers of purple hair. “You got any Plumerian spikefruits? The baker at Dryl puts them on my cupcakes sometimes. They explode in your mouth!”

“Oooh! An excellent idea!” Sea Hawk grabbed a spikefruit from the basket of produce Perfuma had brought over and had it peeled, diced and arranged along the edge a moment later. “Well, that should make for a slightly more adventurous culinary—”

“Aha!” Entrapta was rummaging around the tiny cabinet of spices. “Puffersalt! Expands when it hits the heat of your tongue!”

“Now that might be something!” Sea Hawk gave the whole top a generous sprinkle. 

Entrapta shook a half-finished bottle of rum in front of his face, a mischievous look on her face. “And then, of course, a little alcohol on the top, and we could serve it…” 

“En flambe!” Sea Hawk grabbed the bottle, so excited he poured a bit too much, the dark liquid spilling a bit off the edge of the table onto the table. He was getting that vibrating feeling he got sometimes like he needed to do whatever it was very quickly before someone stopped him. He grabbed his torch from the drawer and flicked it on, licking his lips at the sight of the tiny blue flame. He’d almost touched it to the nearest spikefruit when Entrapta snatched it out of his hand.

“You call this puny little thing a torch? Give me half a second to supe it up for you!” Before he could protest, she’d dissembled and reassembled the thing. When she turned it back on, the fire shot halfway across the cabin, a chaotic blast of white-hot flame that would have burned his mustache and eyebrows clean off if he didn’t coat them with his own special mix of fireproof wax every morning as a matter of course.

“Entrapta, that… that was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!” 

The other princess smiled, the flames still reflected in her eyes as she grinned. “Now try it!”

Entratpa flipped her face mask down on her face as Sea Hawk thumbed the button on the torch. Now this, he thought as he brought the flame close to the plate, would give them that POW!

"Adventure!"

💥

“You caused a panic! Did you forget we just finished a WAR!” 

“Now dearest…” Sea Hawk ran his fingers through his hair, which had been blasted straight upwards. He would love to say he’d never seen Mermista this angry but he had, lots of times. There was just something slightly scarier about her this time because she was shouting at them and also holding the half of the boat that was still intact upright in the water by sheer force of magic will. The edge of her blue braid was still smoldering but he thought perhaps now was not the best time to mention it. 

“Ugh! Don’t you dearest me! The coastal towns thought Prime was attacking again!” Mermista growled and the ship dipped sideways, almost dumping some of their friends overboard. Fortunately, Adora had been in attendance so She-Ra had made sure there were no lasting injuries but everyone was looking rather singed and grouching about it. Everyone, that was, except for Entrapta who signed but delighted about. 

“I’ll bet they did! That conflagration was so big, they probably saw it for MILES!” She nudged Sea Hawk affectionately with a tendril of hair. “You wanted a POW but instead we got a BOOM! Ahahahahaaha! ADVENTURE!!!” 

Sea Hawk gave the princess a warning look because they were playing with a different kind of fire now, the kind that was an angry Mermista. Just as mesmerizing as the real thing but far, far scarier. Sure enough, his beloved exploded into a rant, about shell-shocked citizens and the diplomatic disaster they’d created for her. At one point, she got so loud the boat nearly capsized, and Perfuma came over to talk her down but he couldn’t really concentrate on what she was saying because Entrapta had raised herself close to his ear, whispering to him from under the mask. 

“You and I need to hang out more often. We could cook up all sorts of stuff in my lab! I’ve got a whole list of recipes Hordak won’t let me try.” 

Sea Hawk pretended to smooth his mustache with what he hoped Mermista would take as a remorseful expression and replied under his breath. “I'd be delighted to!" 

Entrapta reached out a hair fist and he gave it a stealthy bump. 

“You know, I’ve also been experimenting with a new fireproof coating. Your next boat, we could coat the kitchen with it.”

"Hmm, maybe." Mermista had turned on Perfuma now and Bow was trying unsuccessfully to mediate so Sea Hawk took advantage of the distraction to grin and wink at the geek princess, his new best friend. “But it would take all the fun out of it, no?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day behind because I have another project to finish for work so fanfic has to take a backseat until that's done!


	7. You!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista and Scorpia practice because a good detective knows a MURDER could happen at any time. 
> 
> For the prompt Unlikely Buddies

It was not a dark and stormy night. Not even close. It was bright afternoon and there was not a single cloud in the sky unless you counted that little fluffy one over there that kind of looked like a dolphin. 

But still, a good detective knows a MURDER can happen at any time. 

"Yeah, well, maybe that's because..." Mermista slammed her boot down on the stone bench. She fixed an accusatory glare on the... yeah, whatever, that stone birdbath would do... and flung out her finger. "YOU are... the..."

Nothing. A couple of birds chirped sociably overhead, enjoying the perfect blue sky. She resisted the urge to groan aloud. 

"Uh... Scorpia?" She asked at last, turning. The scorpion princess edged out from where she was standing just out of sight behind a bush, looking sheepish. 

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry I just... You know, you said I came in too late last time so I wasn't sure..."

"Yeah, no, it's cool. That's why we're practicing." Mermista smiled because Scorpia was looking a little distressed and this was supposed to be fun after all. "Whatever. It's not a big deal at all. We can stop if you want. I can just do it myself, wait until the next time there's a storm or whatever."

"What? Oh, no, I... I want to get it, it's just..." She tapped the tips of her claws together nervously. "Is the signal the boot or the hand?"

"Oh! Uh... I guess, they both are? Like, the boot means... uhhh, get ready? And the pointing is, like, go? Does that make sense?" 

"Sort of?" Scorpia wrinkled her brow and Mermista was not confident she really got it but then the other princess nodded. "OK, let's try it again." 

Mermista put her foot back on the ground and got ready for another go when there was the distinctive tinkle of magic to her left and Glimmer materialized next to her. 

"Hey, Mermista." Glimmer looked distracted. "Have you seen the model of Bright Moon we were using for the restorations? We had it out here for the meeting with the builders but I can't figure out what happened to it after that."

"Maybe it was STOLEN! Like in Mer-Mysteries, The Case of the Model Porpoise!" That would certainly liven up this afternoon. 

But Glimmer just rolled her eyes and did that oh so smug and superior I'm a Queen and you're all just Princesses and I think I'm so much better than the rest of you because my boyfriend has basic impulse control and no criminal record look. "Come on, I can't believe anyone would steal a model." 

"Oh yeah?" It took all of Mermista’s self-control to keep her face deadpan. "Maybe that's because..." She slammed her boot up on the bench and flung her arm out to point directly at Glimmer. "YOU are the one who stole it!"

Exactly on time, red lightning cracked across the sky, timed perfectly and way louder than the real thing. Glimmer screamed a swear and disappeared in a flash of startled sparkles. Mermista cracked up, laughing so hard it actually hurt a little. 

"Oh man, that was great!" Scorpia came dashing back out into the open, lifting her claw for a high... five? Claw? Whatever, Mermista bumped it with her fist and then the two of them spent a minute laughing themselves silly. 

"Did you see her--"

"Gosh, the way she screamed like--"

"Ugh, that was hilarious..."

"She is so going to kill us though."

"Oh no, yeah, she totally is. But whatever, still worth it." Mermista wiped her eyes and then looked over at Scorpia. She took a little getting used to, but Horde princess was pretty fun to hang out with. She grinned and Scorpia gave her a mischievous look back. "So, Sparky, who should we go try it on next?" 


	8. Hard Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double Trouble can't be picky about jobs these days. That's how they ended up at, ugh, a birthday party and for one of the princesses of all people! The role's beneath them but the money's good. But nothing's more surprising than the fact that it was Catra who hired them, even after they'd betrayed her and hit her with that little vibe check in the Fright Zone. Oh well, their little kitten's a changed woman these days so there must be no hard feelings, right?

How do they expect an artist to work under these conditions! It was freezing in here. Not surprising since everything from the furniture to the walls seemed to be made of ice in this place. Someone must have told the little ice gremlin princess to chill out and she took it way too literally. 

Double Trouble threw on another coat and then shifted back to their usual form so no one would be able to tell. 

There! Flawless, as usual. One perk to the ice obsession was they could see themselves reflected back from absolutely every surface. Nothing like a touch of beauty to brighten up a room! 

From the sounds of it, the party was already in full swing outside. Cheerful, lovely dovey friendship bleagh, the kind of drivel these do-gooder types were always still on about. The war’s been over for months, bunnies, give it a rest already. 

They were already regretting this. They’d swore no parties. It was beneath their talents as an artiste. But since the war was over and there was hardly a market for a mercenary these days with the princesses giving out mercy for free, they had to make money somehow. And the Kingdom of Snows had deep pockets. 

There was a knock on the dressing room door and Catra poked her fuzzy little head in. “You almost ready?” 

“I was born ready, Kitten!” Double Trouble said, doing a twirl. “Gotta say, I didn’t expect a job from you so soon after the last time we saw each other. You didn't seem to like my little vibe check one bit but it was necessary. No hard feelings?”

Catra smiled, showing fang. “You mean that whole betrayal thing? Where you turned into everyone I cared about and then left me for dead? Why would I be upset about that?”

Double Trouble shifted into Adora, giving Catra a smug look. That had gotten quite a rise out of their kitten that night in the Fright Zone. But now? Nothing. A shame. 

“Oo, honey, hanging out with these princesses has changed you. How positively dreadful!” Double Trouble shifted back into themselves and gave their hair a flip. At least they had the sense never to let anyone clip their claws.

“Yeah, well, it’s time. So… do your thing, or whatever.” Catra’s tone was bored but she rubbed the back of her neck. 

Double Trouble grinned. From what they’d heard, she wasn’t going to like this one bit. Well, she asked for it. A deep breath, to get into character, of course! Then they channeled all the smooth smarm and oozing ego they remember from their stint at playing good little Horde-ling and began the shift. Megalomaniac wanna be god with juuuuust enough Zaddy energy. Easy peasy! 

There. That’s more like it! A reaction, at last! 

Catra’s breath caught as they finished and they could see themselves, polished white and grey in the door behind her. They struck that superior yet bored pose the role demanded. Horde Prime was a little taller than they were and they enjoyed the way Catra’s ears flattened as she looked up at them, her eyes wide and afraid. 

“A good likeness, hmm?” They said in Prime’s smooth voice and couldn’t help but grin as Catra took a full step backward. Poor kitten! No match for the power of an exemplary performance! “Is it everything you expected, Little Sister?”

“Yeah. It’s great.” Catra wouldn’t look at them, just reached for the door and gestured for them to follow. Her tone was even but the fur stood up all along her tail. Double Trouble had to resist the urge to clap their hands in delight. Oh, DT, you scamp, you've still got it! “Come on. They’re all waiting.”

“I must confess, Little Sister, you catch me at a disadvantage.” They didn’t need to be in character right now, not strictly, as they were still walking through the area that constituted off-stage, but they did so like watching Catra squirm under the glare of her old nemesis. “I still have no idea precisely why you have hired me for this role or why it must be at this particular event.”

They had reached the end of the hallway. From the sounds of it, the party was just beyond the next bend. To their surprise, Catra turned around and grinned and there was absolutely nothing friendly in the expression. “Oh, you’ll see. Just remember that you’ll get your payment when the job is done. And She-Ra will take care of any broken bones or other lasting injuries.”

“Any— what?” They were so startled by that last bit that they actually broke character, a thing they never did. They were a professional, after all! But before they could say anything more, there was a new sound, a feral, joyous scream that filled them with absolute terror. 

“PUNCH HORDE PRIME!” 

It was the only thing they heard before a solid block of ice slammed into their face with the force of a wrecking ball. Once. Twice. Everything was blinding pain as they slammed backward into the frozen wall and crashed ungainly to the floor. The world swam in front of their eyes and there was no sound but the drone of their own ears ringing and… was their jaw actually BROKEN?

“Best birthday EVER!” they heard the little ice gremlin shout through the din of their own pain. “Again! Again!”

Then their vision came into focus on Catra’s face and there was some expression about cats and the cream they’d gotten that fit if they could only get their thoughts unscrambled enough to remember what it was. Their former friend leaned down and smiled. Then she said something in their ear and they knew even without hearing it properly exactly what it was.

“No hard feelings.” 


	9. Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In light of Catra and Adora's new relationship, Swift Wind tries to befriend Melog. 
> 
> For the prompt: Sidekicks and Supportive Buddies

So, Prime was finally gone for good. A glorious day for horses and Etherians all. Though it was kind of a shame he hadn't gotten to give the guy a hoof to the face before Adora had blasted his soul into horse apples or whatever the heck had happened there. 

Swift Wind watched Adora and Catra say their goodnights and retire to the same tent. Well, then. He'd known how Adora had felt, sacred bond and all that, and he hadn't exactly been sure he approved but there was no denying the happiness radiating through their connection now. He just hoped Catra's act really was cleaned up for good because if she hurt his buddy Adora... well, she’d have She-Ra mighty steed to deal with, that was for sure. 

"Aah!" He startled when he realized that Melog was standing directly next to him and he hadn’t even noticed. Moldy apples, that thing could be quiet when it wanted to. It was watching Catra disappear with its head tilted. 

It? They? She? He still had no idea what pronoun to use for Melog. He'd tried to ask Catra but she just swore at him. Apparently making nice with her girlfriend’s best horse friend wasn't a stop on her redemption tour. Yeah, well, the feeling is mutual, fuzzy. 

"Sorry, Melog! Didn't see you there!" Swift Wind turned to the alien creature who stayed perfectly still, watching the tent. It was slightly unnerving. "I was wondering if those two would ever work it out, you know? Because Adora's head was all like..." He made circles in the air with his horn. "And Catra was all like..." He growled. "And they were always...” He clapped his hooves together. “Well, you know."

Melog turned and looked at him before turning to watch the people milling around the campsite. 

"I could never really explain it to Adora. I didn't want to make her feel bad, or whatever, because, obviously, totally stoked about our sacred bond, glorious destiny and all. But sometimes it was like... wish I could turn it off, you know? Especially when they get..." He was trying to tune it out now, trying to keep his mind on literally anything than the ever present connection he had with Adora. Because he was happy for them, he really was, but he didn't particularly want to be hearing all that right now. Or maybe ever. "Guess it's going to just get worse from here on. Smooching. Frolicking. Whatever. You and I are going to have to come up with something distracting. Board games. Karaoke. Bet you’re great at Charades with the shape shifting and all!"

Melog yawned and lay on the new grass, its paws tucked under its body. Swift Wind hesitated and then did the same. They were having a moment, right? Bonding? Becoming buds?

Or, maybe not.

"Hey, I wasn't trying to assume or anything. It just made sense in my head that you and I... because Adora and Catra are, you know. But we don't have to... I've got other friends, obviously. The princesses and Bow... oh, and Sea Hawk, he's great. They're all great! But they're, you know, bi-peds... and, hey, some of my best friends have two legs, I don't discriminate but... well, you get it. Pure magic. One of a kind. First and last of your species sort of thing, you know?" Swift Wind sighed, that heavy feeling he'd had for weeks collecting into a lump in his middle. One by one, watching his friends pair off and here he was... alone. "And it's not like we're the same, obviously, but there's some stuff in common there and... I don't know. I thought maybe we could be lonely together! Magic familiars unite, kind of thing. Best sidekick squad! Four-legged, mind meld melee of, uh... you know, maybe we should ask Bow for a name, he's better at this kind of thing." 

He laughed but it died away as Melog did nothing but stare at him, its expression neutral. Its tail swished lazily in the grass but otherwise it was still that same unnerving stillness as before. He sighed. 

"I'm probably annoying you." Talking too much. Trying too hard. That seemed to happen a lot. Turns out, magical speech powers don’t come with a social skills starter pack. He should have figured, honestly. Catra can't stand him, why would Melog be any different? "I'll just... I was going to head out anyway, go for a fly. See how everything looks now that the magic is unleashed or whatever. You just… do whatever you were going to do."

He rose to his feet and spread his wings, tensing his knees for take-off. But he paused when he saw Melog rise along side him. The creature shook its translucent blue mane and then tilted its head as if considering him. Then its body shuddered, like it was shaking water off after a bath, and when it stopped there were a magnificent pair of gossamer wings extended from its sides. A ripple went through them and they changed color, a slight gradient, shades of blue patterned like feathers, almost like... well, his own wings, if the rainbow of colors was done over in only blues. 

Melog extended its wings just like he had and Swift Wind realized he'd just been standing there with his mouth agape this whole time. 

"Oh! Did you... did you want to come?" 

Melog moved into a crouch, as if ready to spring. An unmistakable smile spread across the creature's face. It backside swayed, anticipatory. 

"Well, hey, that's great! Does this mean we're buddies now? Gonna start hanging out? Because, you know, with Catra and Adora spending a lot more time together... I'd really like if we could... you know what, I'll shut up. Let's fly!" 

He launched himself into the air, his wings catching the air. It was still such a thrill, the feeling that no pasture could ever hold him again, even though he'd done this a million times since he'd transformed. But this time, he wasn't alone. Melog's sleek cat-like body sailed through the air, the creature’s face upturned to the wind, a wide grin stretched across its face. And Swift Wind didn't need any sacred bond to know it was having a wonderful time. 

He put on speed and was delighted when Melog matched him, the planet being reborn below them, she bathed in She-Ra's golden light. A whole new world. For them to all face together. 

Swift Wind turned to his new best friend and grinned. 

"So, Melog. How do you feel about loop-dee-loops?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Swift Wind. People who hate on him are just mean. He is a Good Horse!


	10. "I don't know. You die?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today’s Prompt is Post-Canon Potential and I didn’t have time to write something new so I am doing something I never do and giving you a sneak peek of a fic set in Post-Canon I haven’t started posting yet where Catra makes Bow and Glimmer fake a break-up as part of a very important sting operation and also just because she wants to irritate Bow.
> 
> PS: if you would like slightly less contentious Post-Canon Bow and Catra, may I direct you to this other fic of mine, [The B-Team](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486634).

"Oh, really." Catra pulled out her tablet and started scrolling through the headlines. "Because have you seen some of the stuff the JunkVids have been saying about you and Sparkles?"

"What? They love us." Bow rubbed temples, trying to get rid of what he’d come to think of as the Catra headache.

"Yeah, most of them. But not all. There's a least three of them that think Spakrles and Dummy over here should leave the both of us and marry each other."

"No no no. Glimmer's like my sister!" Adora waved her hands in front of her like she was brushing the entire concept away.

"Oo, and then there's this lady, thinks Sparkles should be hooking up with me. Or that we already hooked up in space? I don't have the patience to read the whole article. Sparkles and Me. Huh. Now there's a concept. What do you think, babe?"

"Knock it off, Catra." Adora did not look amused.

"Not interested? That's a shame, because this one thinks you, me, and Sparkles should all be a thing. All three of us together."

"And what happens to me in this scenario?" Bow asked, feeling extremely tired for some reason.

"I don't know. You die?" Catra powered down the pad, chuckling to herself. "Yup. Apparently you two have no chemistry. Maybe if you didn't kiss her like she's your grandma."

"Are you still talking about that? We were at an orphanage, Catra! There were like two dozen kids on stage! Excuse me for not slipping her tongue with a bunch of toddlers watching!"

"You know, Arrow Boy, they say a lot of things about Adora and I but nobody's questioning whether we fu--"

"OK, that's it! Knock it off you two!” Adora slammed the table. “This is important!”

Bow glared at Catra and then exhaled. “Fine. I’ll do it.”


	11. Best Friend Squad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, who, exactly is in the Best Friend Squad?
> 
> For the prompt: Quads and Squads

Glimmer pointed to the 3D map lighting up the war room table. “OK, so the Best Friend Squad will be stationed here. Then the second team can—” 

“Hold on.” From across the room, Mermista half-heartedly raised her hand. “Can we, like, get a rundown of who is and isn’t in the ‘Best Friend Squad’?”

“Uh, I thought it was just me, Bow, Adora and now Catra,” Glimmer said.

“And Swift Wind!” Adora added. 

Glimmer furrowed her brow. “Wait. I thought Swift Wind was only part of the Best Friend Quad or whatever stupid new variation Bow was trying to make happen when we were in Alwyn?” 

“He’s She-Ra’s faithful steed! If She-Ra’s in the squad, then so is he!”

“IS She-Ra in the squad? Or just you, Adora?” Adora opened her mouth and shut it again. She shrugged. Glimmer sighed. “I wish Bow was here, this whole stupid thing is his idea. I still think we should have gone with The Glimmer Group!” 

“Pardon me, but I believe my dearest Mermista and I are also included in the Best Friend Squad,” Sea Hawk interjected. “I distinctly remember Bow welcoming us into it when you came to repair the Sea Gate. We did a group hug and everything!” 

“Um, no,” Glimmer said as Adora shook her head vehemently. “You guys are not part of it. That’s not a thing.”

“But Bow said—” Sea Hawk began but Adora cut him off. 

“I think Bow meant it like, look what the Best Friend Squad accomplished and, hey, Mermista and Sea Hawk are also here! Yay!” Adora was smiling but Mermista flung her head backwards like she’d been insulted. 

“OK, like that’s not super rude? Oh, yeah, we all defeated the Horde and saved the Sea Gate together but, like, you guys aren’t invited into our super exclusive best friends club that we’re going to talk about riiiiiight in front of you, sorry!”

“We’re not trying to exclude anyone. I guess you guys could be in it if you wanted to…” Adora looked to Glimmer for confirmation.

“No! It’s the Best Friend Squad! It’s only for our BEST friends and, no offense, while I appreciate you two, I’m obviously not as close to you as I am to Bow and Adora! And… Catra.”

“And Swift Wind!” Adora added. “Oh, and actually, we should probably include Melog in there too. Seems rude not to.”

“I’m still not sure about Swift—” Glimmer began but Mermsita cut her off. 

“Let me get this straight. So we’re all out here busting our butts for the rebellion all these years, fighting right beside you and we still can’t get an invite into your special inner circle but the HORSE, the freaky weird alien cat whatever thing and CATRA, who has literally tried to kill evvvvveryone in this room at one point, was just instantly welcomed in?”

“Well, yeah.” Adora said. Mermista glared at her. “Because, well, Catra’s been through a lot and, uh, she’s… well… her and I are… uh…”

“Perhaps, if Catra is allowed in because she’s Adora’s girlfriend,” Sea Hawk offered when it seemed as though Adora was never going to get to her point. “Then it stands to reason you’re all entitled to a plus one!” 

“There we go. I’ll be your plus one, Glimmer, and Sea Hawk can be Bow’s. Now we’re in the Best Friend Squad too.” Mermista sat back in her chair, looking satisfied. 

“What? No! That’s not how it works!” Glimmer yelled as the whole room devolved into chaos, everyone arguing over each other for several loud moments until the door creaked open and Bow came in, laden with papers. 

“Hey everybody, sorry I’m late but… Whoa.” His wide smile faded as he saw the angry faces all around the room. “Is everything OK in here?” 

“Bow, would you please settle this? Who, exactly, is in the Best Friend Squad?” Glimmer slumped down in her seat, rubbing her temples.

“Everyone!” Bow said, his eyes twinkling. “Well, except for Entrapta. I tried to welcome her in when we were on Darla but she turned me down.” His shoulders slumped. “Something about too much hugging.” 

Glimmer growled something about how Bow was wrong and started pouring herself the last bit of coffee. Mermista flicked her finger and made the liquid jump into her mug instead. The princess sat back and took a sip while the queen could only make an indignant squeak. 

“Yeah, actually, on second thought, I’m out too. I don’t want you people touching me.” 

“Well, if my darling is out, then I shall also take my leave.” Sea Hawk made a small seated bow. 

“Great. So we’re right back to where we started. Can we PLEASE stop wasting time talking about this now and get back to the plan for the mission?” Glimmer said from behind the hands she was dragging down her face. 

“Aw, you guys!” Bow said, linking an arm around Adora and Glimmer and pulling them into a hug. “A Best Friend Squad mission, just like the old days!” 

“Did someone say Best Friend Squad?” Swift Wind said, bursting through the double doors, wings open wide. Glimmer groaned and banged her head on the table, tossing her mission notes over her shoulder. “I’m in that, right?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endings are hard. Sometimes I'm just like, I'm done writing this now. 😂


	12. Not Just a Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after Queen Angella disappeared into the portal, General Juliet reflects on her years at Bright Moon. 
> 
> For the Prompt: Work Friends

Well, that was a disaster. So many casualties and they hadn’t even held the outpost. She’d known Redge wasn’t ready for a command position but what the hell else was she supposed to do? The rebellion was losing more people every day. And then, of course, they’d need to find a new source for artillery now that the Horde had cut off the supply chain. Ugh.

Gods, it was late. Barely time for a wash before she had to oversee the morning operations. What was it like not to feel tired down to her bones? She couldn’t remember. 

General Juliet made her way down the hallway, her helmet heavy on her head. She realized too late she’d gone the wrong way. Her feet had taken her not to her chambers but to Angella’s— well, to the Queen’s office. 

The light was on under the door and for a moment she it felt like if she knocked Angella’s soft voice would answer. They could debrief the latest mission over tea by the fire. The woman had a way of making you feel like she wasn’t your superior but her equal, the two of you solving the rebellion’s problems together, laughing at all the stuff those all those crazy magic kids got up to. 

That was the damnedest thing of it. She’d LIKED Angella, had looked forward to being able to call her a friend someday when this blasted war was over and won. But now the woman was gone and the war looked less likely to be either over or won maybe ever. And in her place, well…

Something smashed inside the office and Juliet reached for her sword automatically but then she heard a sound that had become all too familiar these days. She released her weapon, the expectant tension of a fight giving way to a different kind of tension entirely. 

Did they have to be so LOUD? It was bad enough for morale that the Horde gained more ground every week, the old Queen was just GONE, disappeared overnight for reasons even Juliet didn’t properly understand. The fact that the whole damn castle could hear She-Ra and the new Queen screaming at each other every day sure didn’t help matters. 

Based on the volume, tonight was worse than usual. She tried not to listen to the words themselves. They hardly mattered anyway, meaningless blame games and magic pissing contests. The whole world unraveling and those two were arguing over who should have been holding the string. As if that mattered at this point. 

Juliet didn’t slow her steps as she passed the office door. She’d tried, in the beginning, but had learned it was better to stay out of it. She nodded automatically at the guard at the door and startled when, instead of the traditional salute, the guard gave her the finger. 

“Captain Rohni.” Juliet stopped and tried to hide her smile. “I still outrank you, ya brat.”

Rohni snorted, the same way she’d been doing since they were kids. “Come off it, Jules. Like any of that matters right now. Nobody cares! It’s all shot to crap. You know that better than I do.” 

Rohni was leaning against the wall, completely against Bright Moon protocol but Juliet didn’t bother to say anything. Her father would have passed out from shock but her father never saw days like these. 

“Have they been at it long?”

Rohni rolled her eyes. “’Bout four months, by my count.” 

Juliet let out a small laugh but there was hardly any mirth in it. She was going to say something else but there were footsteps coming up the hallway, fast. She stiffened. Even now, with so many of the usual rules suspended in the chaos of war and grieving, it still grated at her whenever anyone ran in the corridors. But when the person rounded the corner, she was relieved to see it was only Bow.

“Hello! General.” The boy saluted both her and Rohni, the latter only barely straightening her posture and giving the archer a curt nod in return. He was out of breath, had probably come running from clear across the castle when he’d heard the fight start. 

Juliet smiled back at him. A tight smile, since the shouting from beyond the door was only getting worse, angry screaming like knives scraping down rock, but a genuine one. Over her long years at Bright Moon, she’d come to share General Sunder’s complete ambivalence to where the boy had come from. However he’d found a way in, he was here now and the place was the better for it. 

Bow looked like he was going to offer some kind of pleasantries about the evening when there was another crash from the office and the unmistakable sound of Queen Glimmer powering up. The boy closed his eyes for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath as he seemed to steady himself. Then he opened his eyes and plastered a smile on his face. “Would you excuse me?”

Juliet nodded and Bow hesitated with his hand on the knob for a moment before pulling open the door, his voice kicking into a falsetto of fake cheer. “OK, hold on, you two. Adora, let’s put that down and Glimmer, no magic. Come on! It’s been a long day, everybody’s a little— Hey! Maybe we need a good old fashioned Best Friend Squad—” 

The door shut behind him. The voices within were tense but at least no one was shouting anymore. Juliet stared at the closed door. The day that kid ran out of patience, they were all doomed. 

“What flaming pile of moghag dung.” Rohni shook her head and put a pinch of spice weed between her teeth. Also against the rules while on duty. She offered the tin to Juliet but she shook her head. “Bunch a idiots, not one brain cell between them.”

“They’re just kids. They didn’t ask for this.” A memory surfaced, years ago. Two kids playing in these very hallways. But not just playing. Crayon battle plans and tiny weapons. Playing at war. The only thing they’d ever known.

Rohni chewed and Juliet hoped she wasn’t planning to spit that out in the hallways because then she really was going to have to bust her, friend or not. “Wonder if the Andreenids are hiring. Halfway across the planet from all this mess. Maybe live to see next year, you know? Wouldn’t mind getting the hell off the front lines for a while.” 

Juliet said nothing. She traced the edge of her sword hilt with her finger and tried not to think about what would happen if the Horde breached Bright Moon. If the war really was at their doorstep and it came down to the end. Where would she be? What would she do? 

“You know…” Rohni pulled a paper from her robes and spit the spent weed inside. She pocketed it and leaned over, her voice low. “I heard the Horde pays pretty well.”

“The Horde?” Juliet could only see a small section of her friend’s face through the helmet openings and it was impossible to judge her expression. “Are you joking?”

“Come on, Jules! What’s the difference? You dress up in metal, you shake the stick, you collect the check. It’s just a job.”

Juliet didn’t think, just acted. Battle instincts honed from years in the field. In half a second, she had the other woman gasping for air and pinned to the wall by her neck, her staff clattering to the floor. 

“Everything they’ve done… everything, everyONE we’ve lost… Queen Angella is GONE and you…” 

Rohni gasped, her face turning red. Her fingers were digging desperately into Juliet’s forearm where it was jabbed under her chin. Juliet yanked her arm backwards, letting the other woman fall to the floor. 

“Jules, I— I didn’t mean—” Rohni was gasping for breath, trying to get back to her feet. 

“Get out of my sight. You’re relieved of duty.”

“Come on, we’re—” 

“NOW, Captain.” 

Rohni didn’t argue, just scrambled to her feet and disappeared down the corridor without looking back. Juliet watched her go, her breathing heavy, all her exhaustion from before replaced by the hot buzz of rage. That someone she had counted her friend, that she had trusted, could so causally betray everything they had worked so hard for, everything these kids had sacrificed… 

She steadied herself, trying to get her breathing back under control. She took Rohni’s post by the door. If no one else cared enough to do it right, she would. She would stand there all night if she had to.

The door opened a moment later, the three of them filing out. Neither She-Ra nor her majesty looked particularly happy, but at least they weren’t fighting anymore. The queen gave her a terse nod, her arms crossed over her chest. The dress of a leader but the face of that same wild kid she chased down the hallways. Bow emerged last, flipping off the lights behind him. He smiled at Juliet and she hadn’t noticed before how exhausted the kid looked. 

“Hey, General! We’re going to go down to the kitchens and have a snack.” His cheer was relentless but clearly frayed around the edges. “You should go get some rest!” 

He raised his eyebrows at her and nodded, a look that said it was OK now, that he had it back under control. She couldn’t understand how he could look so relieved about it when they both knew it was only a temporary truce but she nodded back. Good job, kid. You kept this sinking ship afloat for another day. 

Bow leaped on his friends, pulling them together into a hug. She-Ra’s mouth crooked up at the corner and the queen shoved him, but it was playful. Juliet watched the three of them make their way down the hallway, the sound of their strained but friendly banter fading as they moved out of sight.

Still trying.

They cared. They didn’t give up. Even after everything. You had to give them that. She felt a sudden surge of warmth for them, all of them, the whole damn place. Anyone wanted to hurt those kids, they went through her first. 

Because she cared too. Not just because of duty, but because she belonged here. And she wasn't going anywhere. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI, in an effort to keep this collection rated G, I posted my fic for the "Hangin' Out" prompt (which has swearing but is otherwise wholesome BFS sleepover antics) separately [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29548455).


	13. Match Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment from a darker AU where Horde Prime and Shadow Weaver met. 
> 
> For the prompt What If?

“All is ready, Lord Prime.” 

The attendant gave a short bow and Prime waved him off. He crossed his legs and waited, tapping the cool metal of his claw against his chin. A moment later, they’d tossed her to the ground before his throne, a puddle of maroon robes and oily black hair. Prime’s mouth tugged upwards. This pathetic creature was the nightmare that haunted Catra’s every moment? These Etherians truly were weak. 

“So this is my little brother’s pet sorceress. The great Shadow Weaver.” He couldn’t help chuckling at the name. “Forgive me if I remain… unimpressed.”

Would she beg for her life? They usually did. But the old woman kept her face to the ground, her breathing shallow and rough. 

“I must confess, I was amused at your paltry attempts at manipulation. Don’t take it too personally. Your mind games probably worked on fragile Etherian hearts. But surely you did believe that Lord Prime, who sees and knows all, could be so easily tricked.” He stepped down off the throne and took a slow walk around her, seeing the chip fitting in place against her grey neck, ready to be activated as soon as he gave the word. “All your many schemes for power and you ended up here.”

Shadow Weaver shifted, a small movement, her shoulder shaking. Ah, there it was. She was crying, the pathetic thing. Not the first to soil his floor with her emotions but certainly one of the more satisfying. All her pride and arrogance and still he’d— but no! That sound, growing stronger every moment. Not sobs but… laughter?

“You have no idea what you are dealing with. I have abilities beyond your imagining.” Shadow Weaver lifted her head then, her voice full of strength and mocking. He couldn’t see her expression beyond the mask but it sounded as though the old woman was smiling. “We could have ruled the universe side by side but instead you have sealed your own fate as I knew you would. You are so very like your ‘brother’ Hordak. So easy to make believe you’re the one in control.”

Prime felt the uncomfortable buzz of his body burning excess energy, the way it sometimes did when it was in distress. But there was nothing to fear here, just another weak creature to be turned to his purposes. “Do you forget that I know everything my little brother, that Catra knew of you? You have no real power of your own. You can only leech it from others. You are a dried-out husk.”

The old woman said nothing but he could feel her smug expression from behind the mask. 

He dug his fingers into his palm, mindful of the eyes and minds of the hive watching and feeling. “I grow tired of this. Activate the chip.” 

Shadow Weaver gasped, her head jerking upwards. Through the mask, her eyes flashed green, her fingers splaying in panic in the air as she lost control of her body. In a moment, she’d been connected to the hive with the others. His to control. 

Ah, there she was. Prime felt her connection, reaching into her mind, needing to feel her fear to settle him, to block out the sound of her cocksure laughter. He touched her thoughts, lightning, and runes, anger and hatred, wanting and… triumph? Absolute elation that it had worked, that the arrogant alien FOOL had actually fallen for it and, Oh, power! She was tapped into so much power now and nothing would ever be able to stop her ever— 

Wha— Something pulled from deep within his gut and Prime stumbled, woozy. The room blurred around him as he reached for the throne to steady himself and missed, pitching towards the floor. He tried to cry out but he could only manage a small croak. Something was sucking away his energy, like charging up in reverse. 

No matter. Let this vessel die. There was always another. He tossed his consciousness into the hive, looking for another handy host but there were no others, nothing but this terrible vacuum consuming everything and still wanting more more MORE. It was the old witch, emptying them all, everything connected to the hive at once, like a drain. He let her take him, thinking he could take her body over but the hunger inside her was much too strong. 

It tugged at him, tearing him to shreds, devouring until there was nothing left. 

—

“Prime! You can’t hide forever!” She-Ra kicked down the doorway to the throne room, steeling herself for the final battle ahead but she hesitated when she saw all the bodies. Clones lay everywhere, gray and lifeless, their mouths frozen in horror and confusion, just like the ones she’d seen in the hallways. 

What had happened here? She-Ra moved carefully, stepping around the bodies, unable to keep her eyes off the figures of Prime’s faithful, their limbs splayed awkwardly, as if they’d simply crumpled wherever they had stood. A grotesque tableaux, like sacrifices strew about an alter. 

She’d nearly stepped right over him without noticing but once she realized, her heart froze in her chest. The emperor of the known universe lay on the ground like a discarded doll. And she’d come to kill Prime, to rid the universe of him but her blood ran cold at the sight of him there at her feet, already dead. His eyes lifeless and wide, as if even he couldn’t believe it. 

Then the throne turned and She-Ra stepped backward automatically, nearly tripping over Prime’s corpse.

Shadow Weaver’s hair stood on end like it had when Adora was a child, green lightning arcing all around her body. Her fingertips sparked lime and she regarded them with a disinterested expression. What little Adora could see of her eyes through the mask were glowing, a terrible verdant. The life force of an entire intergalactic army pulsed through the sorceress’s body, power pent and ready to be unleashed. 

Horde Prime and his armies were dead. The universe was saved. But at what cost?

She-Ra’s mouth was dry and it took her a moment to find her voice. “Did— did you do this?”

Shadow Weaver reached up and removed her mask. Adora gasped at her first look at the face of the woman who raised her, the twisted veins that snaked across her face glowing lime with stolen energy. A smile spread across Shadow Weaver’s scarred face and when the woman spoke, it was slow and even, a terrifying gloat. 

“You’re welcome.” 


	14. Sharknado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista and Spinnerella decide to combine their powers to show the Horde something they've never seen before. 
> 
> For the prompt Teams and Alliances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This post inspired by [this thread](https://partytimesloth.tumblr.com/post/630016780139642880/glimmers-just-mad-she-wasnt-there).
> 
> Did I make this way more complicated than I needed to? Yes. But sometimes writing is like that.

“Watch out!” 

Mermista dove as another searing blast of energy sliced the air above her head. OK, yeah, that big warship had to go. She jabbed her trident into the nearest bot and tossed it into the one Sea Hawk was fighting to her right taking them both out. 

“Hey, ladies! Cover me a minute?” Mermista called to the others halfway down the beach. “I’m going to take out the ship!”

“Certainly!” Perfuma said cheerfully, as a massive daisy grew up between a tank, tearing it in two. Netossa gave her a nod and grunted, smashing a bot she’d wrapped in white netting against the rocks. Above them, Spinnerella gave her a thumbs up and continued sending Horde troops scattering like matchsticks in the wind. 

Yeah, they got it handled. Mermista flexed her powers, reaching out for the water. The warship was heavy but once she got the waves rocking high enough, it was simple enough to tip it over. It took a few minutes and she had beads of sweat on her head from the strain but she managed to flip the thing cannon down over in less time than the last one had taken. She took a moment to catch her breath. There. At least now she and Sea Hawk could focus on the bots without having to also dodge— Oh, my godddddssss, you have gotttttt to be kidding me!

“UGHH!” Mermista groaned as the warship extended boosters from its side and righted itself. The soldiers on the deck hadn’t even been dumped overboard! What the shell? They’d never been able to do that before! Before she could think about what to do next, the ion cannon was firing again and she had to dive to the ground. She spit sand from her mouth. “Can everything stop attacking for, like, five minutes?” 

“Oh dear.” Spinerella landed next to her, her delicate tone at odds with how she casually sent a breeze to smash a bot against at rock. “It seems like they’re getting wise to our tricks. Perhaps we should try something different. Something they… aren’t expecting?” 

Mermista looked at the other princess out of the corner of her eye. It had been a joke, something silly they had all been talking about when they were punchy and exhausted after the last mission but there was a sneaky little spark in Spinerella’s eye Mermista had never seen before that gave her the feeling she was actually serious. Well, fine, she was game, mostly just to see if it was possible and if it was something unexpected they needed…

“Yeah, alright, Gusty. Let’s see what we can do.” She spun around to call to Frosta on the other side of the beach. “Hey, Popsicle! You may want to move back! We’re going to try something ridiculous.”

“You got it!” Frosta said cheerfully, the guts of a bot impaled on the tip of her ice spear. 

“Here goes nothing…” Mermista nodded to Spinnerella and the other princess raised her hands and created a tornado strong enough that Mermista had to dig her boots into the sand to keep herself from being pushed backward. Her hair was coming free of her braid but she ignored it, reaching out with her powers and feeling the water churning under the whirling wind. Slowly she threaded the water into the funnel of the storm, more and more, until it was a whirlpool floating in the air. 

Mermista spun the water as Spinnerella spun the wind, the two of them working together making a storm far more powerful than either would have been able to alone until the funnel of wind and water loomed massive at the edge of the beach. Already the warship was beginning to tip and sway in the storm and the bots on the beach were in disarray, tipping over and crashing into each other with the strengthening wind. 

Mermista turned to see Spinnerella grinning, slightly manic. And there were some times she didn’t quite GET how the wind princess and Netossa worked because Spinny was so chill and Netossa was so intense but in that moment, she totally got it. 

“Ready?” Mermista asked her, easing up her hold on the whirling water. 

Spinnerella nodded and Mermista pulled her powers. The wind princess grunted as she suddenly held the weight of both water and water but she set her brow and leaned forward, keeping the storm going herself. Mermista closed her eyes, reaching out for shapes below the surface. 

“Now for the crazy part…” she mumbled to herself. 

—

Octavia was feeling pretty confident about this mission. The new boosters had worked great. Sure, the princesses were making scrap out of their bots but there were plenty more where they came from and now that they could keep the ion cannon on them, they should be able to even the odds. Plus she had a good hundred strong troops on her ship, and just as many bots, armed and ready to storm the beach as soon as they got close enough.

Yeah, the Horde pretty much had this one in the bag. 

“Prepare yourselves!” Octavia called, her troops standing in formation on the deck, weapons at the ready. 

Suddenly, the deck pitched, the ship tipping dangerously to the side. Octavia laughed. Let them waste their magic trying again. Magnetic boots, boosters to right them again, even more tricks they hadn’t tried yet. All it meant was a quick dip and they were right back up. Those princesses think they’re so great but the Horde already knew all their tricks. 

Something slammed into the ship and Octvia would have lost her footing if not for the MagBoots. As it was, she had to flail all of her arms to keep her balance. The engines churned but they weren’t going anywhere. 

“Status?” Octavia called to the bowman. “Sonar said these waters were clear. What’d we hit?”

“Uh… it’s like… an iceberg?” called the bowman. 

Octavia groaned. So they had the snowy one with them this time. Well, never mind, they knew her tricks too. “So back up and go around it!”

“Oh. Yeah, but, you see we’re like… completely surrounded?” 

Octavia growled and switched off her MagBoots. She went to the side of the boat to look for herself and swore when she saw the thick ice trapping them completely. “So flip on the mech arms! Break it up and let’s get back to crushing princesses!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” 

She stayed at the railing, watching the arms extending from the side of the ship, their sharp tips glinting in the sun reflected off the ice. A minor setback. Half a minute and they’d be—

There was a collective gasp behind her and she turned to see her troops falling on their butts, pointing at something, their voices pitched in fear. She followed their gaze and could only sputter in the face of the craziest thing she’d ever seen. 

“What the—” Looming ahead of the ship was a gigantic cone of water and wind and… teeth? Like someone had yanked a whirlpool straight out of the ocean and gave it a lust for blood. 

All around her, soldiers were screaming and scrambling as the tornado reached the ship and starting firing torpedoes, massive gray torpedoes with hungry mouths and rows and rows of teeth and… I’m sorry, are those SHARKS? 

Well that was new. They must have combined their powers to make some kind of Torsharko? Teethnado? Dang, it really felt like there was a better name for what to call this monstrosity but Octavia couldn’t think of what it was. 

It would almost be funny if it wasn’t for the fact that it was working. Her crew was in a complete panic. All around the deck, soldiers were glued to the decks by their MagBoots, screaming while sharks gnaws at their armor. Others had been smart enough to switch their boots off but only to abandon ship and take off running across the ice. A shark smashed through the front window of the bridge, its tail flapping into the open air and the crew inside dove out without caring where they landed. 

“Hold your positions, you cowards! We can still beat them!” Octavia called over the din of wind and water, fear and feeding frenzy. “Blast it, where are my mech arms?”

Someone must still be at their post because the arms started up again, making progress on the ice for a moment before they were all wrapped in white netting. Before Octavia could say anything more, she screamed as something slimy wrapped around her arms on the railing. She yanked herself free but the whole railing was already covered in seaweed, thick vines of it, climbing onto the deck like the tendrils of some massive beast. 

“It’s a kraken!” Someone screamed. “Abandon ship before it rips us apart!” 

“Superstitious fools, there’s not a squid on Etheria that big. The plant princess is obviously just—” Octavia never got to finish her sentence because, kraken or not, the ship began to rock underneath her, the metal panels pulling apart at the seems. The projectile sharks had blown holes into the deck, holes that living seaweed was filling and pulling apart, and all the while the tornado still bared down on them, tearing the ship to shreds. 

The last thing Octavia saw before the storm surrounded her and the Horde’s mighty warship came to pieces and took her with it to the bottom of the sea was what looked like a man in a bandanna riding a flaming shark through the whirling wind screaming, “Adventure!” 

—

"Glimmer NEVER finds out about this."

  
  
Art by [Party Time Sloth](https://partytimesloth.tumblr.com/post/630016780139642880/glimmers-just-mad-she-wasnt-there)


	15. SCSTSPTAABAJDTB

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Swift Wind's turn to host the monthly meeting of the Society of Comic Sidekicks That Some People Think Are Annoying But Are Just Doing Their Best.

“OK, everybody, settle down!” Swift Wind called into the melee but it didn’t seem like anyone was listening. It was always like this when they all got together. Feathers and fur flying everywhere. Literally. He spit out a mouthful of black feathers as Hamuel flew by with Toodles in giddy pursuit. He banged his hoof on the table, trying to get everyone’s attention, but he wasn’t sure they even heard him over the din. “I know we’re all having fun but we’ve really got to get started!”

“Hey! Listen!” That piercing little fairy voice did the trick. Finally, all eyes in the room were on him. 

“Thanks, Navi!” Swift Wind gave her a little nod. “Welcome, everyone! This is my first time hosting so I want to make sure we all have a great meeting this month. Do we have enough chairs?”

“I don’t need a chair, hoot hoot!” Hooty screeched into his ear loud enough that Swift Wind jumped. The tubed maniac had extended himself through the window. “I’m just stretching my body alllllllllllllll the way from my home dimension HOOT!”

“Oh, god, if someone doesn’t shut that bird brain up, the monkey and I are going to have to do it for him!” Iago squawked. Besides him, Abu pounded his tiny fist into his other hand with a look that was probably supposed to be menacing but was still kinda cute with the hat and the vest and all. 

“Come on, now! We’re all friends here!” Across the table, Donkey grinned. “Maybe y’all should just relax, try some of them parfaits Puss and I brought.” 

“Parfait starts with P! Which Elmo has to do next time we take a break! Hee hee!” Elmo giggled and Jar Jar slid his chair a little farther away from the tiny red monster. 

Someone cleared their throat. “Swift Wind, if I may.”

“Yeah, go ahead Olaf.” Swift Wind sighed. He didn’t particularly want this to turn into a free for all but at least the snowman had enough manners to ask for the floor politely. 

Olaf stepped up onto the table and cleared his throat. “My fellow comic sidekicks. Let us not forget that we founded the Society of Comic Sidekicks That Some People Think Are Annoying But Are Just Doing Their Best—”

“SCSTSPTAABAJDTB!” someone shouted, wetly. 

“Uh, yes, exactly, Taz.” Olaf nodded to the slathering brown lump wheezing in the corner that seemed to Swift Wind like the horrifying love child of Spinnerella and a rabid wolverine. “We founded this organization to support those of us who have struggled to balance our supportive role and sworn duty to bring levity to every situation with the fact that some people may find our presence and enthusiasm to be—”

“Annoying?” chorused Pain and Panic together. From somewhere inside the bowl of trail mix, Chip and Dale snickered. 

“Unappreciated,” sulked Tails, his two tails crossed in front of him like a second set of arms. All around the room, sad faces nodded. 

“Well, hey! That’s why we’re all here, right?” Swift Wind tried to keep an upbeat tone, bring the meeting back to a cheerful level. “To appreciate and support each other on our tireless mission to keep the laughs coming even when things look bleak. It’s not easy bringing the funny but we’re always there to make sure things don’t get too heavy. So let’s get down to business, shall we? First up is a question raised by Chairwoman Pinkie Pie— Great cupcakes, by the way, Pinkie!” Pinkie giggled and boinged happily but Swift Wind quickly continued because once you let that girl start talking, nobody can get a word in edgewise. “About whether some of us, such as Pinkie herself, being in the Mane Six— oh, hey, great pun! I gotta tell Lance that one!—, really count as sidekicks.”

“I know I, for one, am clearly more main character material.” This was from that mute bug Dave. The prehistoric squirrel guy beaned him in the head with an acorn and he split open and turned into a baby. Caillou laughed. 

“Annnnnd the second order of business,” Swift Wind said quickly, trying to keep this meeting from going completely off the rails. “Is the concern raised by Orko— and remind me after the meeting to ask you more about that He-Man guy you know because I think Adora is gonna want to hear about that— that perhaps not all of us are really doing our bests.”

Clippy was not so subtly pointing its metal foot towards Jar Jar. Peppa Pig pretended to sneeze but instead just whispered, “Scrappy Doo!”

“Hey! You’re way more annoying than I am!” Scrappy shouted. “You all are!” 

“Am I annoying? Because this one time, Rainbow Dash said I was annoying but then I was like, ‘Rainbow, did you forget about the power of friendship again?’ and then she was all ‘Whatever, I make everything 20% cooler!’ and so I was like, ‘Oh! Let me get my flugelhorn and we can sing about it!’ but then Applejack—” 

“Okay, everybody, let’s not let this get completely out of control like last month. If we could get back to the meeting minutes—” Swift Wind looked around for the minutes but only spotted them in time to watch Hei Hei swallow them down entirely. 

“I’m not annoying you are! I’m not annoying you are!” sang Dee Dee McPherson over and over, dancing in a circle. Swift Wind banged his hoof on the table again but it was hopeless, everything had descended in the complete chaos as usual. 

“Snarfity snarf snarf!” 

“This is the song, lalalala…” 

“I don’t only like warm hugs, you know. I’ll take any kind of hugs really.”

“And I probably could have saved Paris all by myself but then I smelled some delicious Camembert…” 

“Yeah? Well smurf you, buddy!!” 

"And den I sed, Tinka Bell, unda dah sea, we got a sayin'"

“ I reckon I musta died or sumphin ‘cause now I’m a star… tho come to think of it… how I'm here with y’all right now? This sure ain’t Shreveport!”

“You’re all just a bunch of dumb babies!”

“M-m-maybe I can help with a MOUSKATOOL!” 

“Zort! Troz! Poit!” 

"Dishonor on your Snork! Dishonor on your Krang! Dishonor on your donkey... though, you sound reallll familiar for some reason."

"Bubba CLUBBA!"

“Master, the batteries in your Wii remote—”

“—and I’ll hug you and squeeze you into itty-bitty pieces!” 

“And M-Mario never letsa me be Playa One…” 

“Pika—”

“CHOO! Bless me. I’ve been sick.”

“It looks like you’re writing a letter. Would you—” 

“I’m the most annoying of allllll HOOT HOOT!” 

Swift Wind sighed. He sank back into his specially made horse-chair and grabbed himself another cupcake. They’d all wear themselves out eventually, they always did. He knew they needed this, a way to support each other it was just that… 

Gods, some of them were really annoying. 


	16. My Other SPOP Palentines fics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A masterpost of SPOP Palentines fics I wrote that are not in this collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In addition to the posts collected in this fic, I wrote many more one-shots and other things for SPOP Palentines that are, for various reasons, posted elsewhere. Here is the full list of those.

**Childhood Friends:  
**Tiny Glimmer and Angella discuss the aftermath discuss yet another disastrous playdate.  
Read on [AO3](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/26264311/chapters/71563854) or [FF.net](https://href.li/?https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13687801/5/Glowing-Up-The-Pirate-and-The-Princess). ****

**Therapists and Friendly Ears:  
**Glimmer has a Girls Night In with Mermista and Perfuma (Part of my Modern AU, Cans of Tuna and Redemption Arcs).  
Read on [AO3](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639554/chapters/72213231) or [FF.net](https://href.li/?https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13704638/6/Cans-of-Tuna-and-Redemption-Arcs). ********

**Trios:  
**Kyle, Lonnie and Rogelio decide to go back for their “little brother” Imp.  
Read on [AO3](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/25273333) or [FF.net](https://href.li/?https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13643766/1/Kyle-Lonnie-and-Rogelio-Plot-to-Steal-a-Freaky-Demon-Baby). 

**FREE DAY: Hangin’ Out:**  
The original Best Friend Squad has a sleepover (Standalone fic called Fraternize, Co-Captain or Assassinate)  
Read on [AO3](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/29548455) or [FF.net](https://href.li/?https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13822904/1/Fraternize-Co-Captain-or-Assassinate). **  
**

**Friends Across Generations:**  
Bow has a heart to heart with his oldest brother and they come to an understanding.  
Read on [AO3](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/26264311/chapters/72887193) or [FF.net](https://href.li/?https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13687801/6/Glowing-Up-The-Pirate-and-The-Princess). ********

**Missed Opportunities:**  
Wrote a meta post about the missed opportunity that was the dynamic between Bow and Shadow Weaver. [  
Read on Tumblr](https://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com/post/643794326990798848/missed-opportunities-bow-and-shadow-weaver). **  
**

**Opposites:  
**I got fancy for this one and wrote the same scene twice [once as Bow](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/26315326/chapters/64465492), [once as Glimmer](https://href.li/?https://archiveofourown.org/works/26386084/chapters/72835485), to show their opposite reactions to it. 

**Best Friends & BROTPs: **  
Adora and Glimmer hang out in an AU where they actually got to have fun at Princess Prom.  
[Read on Tumblr](https://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com/post/644100020985036800/glimmer-and-adora-hangin-out)

**FREE DAY: Forgiveness:**  
Wrote a meta post for this prompt [here on Tumblr](https://spop-palentines.tumblr.com/post/644197159491813376/forgiveness-and-spop) ****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I have written but not posted fics for the following prompts so keep an eye out for them on [my Tumblr](http://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com). I'll also update the list below once they go up!  
> FREE DAY: Bad Days  
> Post Canon Potential  
> Uneasy Alliances  
> Found Family
> 
> There are a couple of prompts I did not do at all (or I kind of cheated by using something I had already written or by doing a meta post) so please feel free to suggest random pairings or dynamics you'd like to see and I'll try to get to them in the future. 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading along with me this month and I hope you enjoyed all this silliness! I'm sorry to post a non-chapter like this but I forgot to add this note when I posted the last section yesterday and since my other fics for this event will be standalones or chapters elsewhere, this was how I had to do it! 
> 
> If you just tuned in for this event, I've got a lot of fun fics many of which are just as fun and silly as these so please check em out!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always hugely appreciated no matter how long after posting it is!
> 
> Visit my Tumblr for asks, fic updates and misc thoughts. <https://tippenfunkaport.tumblr.com>


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